Bloodbath.
A Cannon in the Wind;
The Fifth Hunger Games.
Zander Engres, 17;
District Eight Male.
It's showtime.
Unlike the irrelevant tributes who seem intent on figuring out the Arena, looking around in fear and surprise, I keep my sights on the golden Cornucopia in front of me. I can't let my attention waver; Father would be extremely disappointed in me if I made reckless mistakes during a time like this.
Suddenly, the holographic numbers appear in the air above the Cornucopia, counting down from 60—and that's when I realize we're not even outside. Momentarily ripping my attention away from the Cornucopia, I take in my surroundings. We're in some sort of building, the floor and walls and even the ceilings being made of wood. Multiple weapons are attached to the walls, like pitchforks and even some scythes. Barrels are plastered around the place, and there are even baskets of hay scattered around.
Is this a..? Glancing at the girl from Ten, who's staring at the place with a knowing glint in her eyes, I know automatically that my prediction is proved correct. We're in some sort of barn. It explains the clothes, at least.
I shake my head, looking back at the timer. 37 seconds. I take a deep breath, letting loose all the anxious emotions I feel. Honestly, I'm terrified. This entire fiasco has terrified me to no end—but the thing is, I'm not going to let my fears show.
I remember my father's last words to me, the things he said to calm me down during the Goodbyes. "Don't lose focus on your goal," he said. "I've raised you better than to die in these idiotic Games."
And he's right. There's no way I'm going to meet my maker in this place. I'm the only one here deserving enough to win the Hunger Games. And nobody is going to stop me. Nobody is going to ever stop me from reaching my goals.
20 seconds...
Winning is the main goal, but obviously, there are a few side goals that need to be accomplished. I take a glance to my left, searching for my redheaded District Partner. Kaya, the girl who refused to ally with me, only to find a pack of weaklings. Right now, adorned in her ridiculous Arena Outfit, she's staring ahead in pure concentration.
Poor girl. I clench my fists, feeling the rage wash through my body, enveloping all my senses in a shade of red. She's going to die. I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill, kill, kill her!
I stare back at the Cornucopia, ignoring the sniffs of the boy from Five and the girl from Twelve. They're irrelevant. All I need to focus on is getting a weapon and killing Kaya Vause, that wretched bitch. And maybe even her allies, if she doesn't satisfy me enough.
5 seconds...
The golden horn is packed with weapons of all kinds—but right there, mainly to my right, are my signature weapons. The double scimitars. There are backpacks on the ground around the Cornucopia, but that weapon is the only thing I'll need right now.
4 seconds...
The holographic numbers have turned a dark shade of red, signifying the fact that the time is about to come. The moment of truth.
3 seconds...
2 seconds...
I bend my knees, ready to leap off this pedestal and make a mad dash for the weapons. This is my time to shine. My time to show my father that I am worthy of his love, that I am worthy of his attention. Time to show him that I'm not a pointless, waste of air.
But is he even watching right now?
The gong rings. Momentarily distracted by my thoughts, I hesitate—and that's all it takes for me to trip on the edge of the pedestal and fall flat on my face. DAMN IT! I quickly scramble to my feet, ignoring the pain, and rush to the left. All around me, the tributes are dashing to the Cornucopia. Some of them, like the girl and boy from Two, are already deep inside, searching for their weapon of choice. Some of them, like the girl from Six, already have a bag in their hands and are searching for their allies. And there are even some who seem to skip the Bloodbath altogether, like the pair from Twelve and the boy from Ten.
Cowards. It doesn't matter anyway. They're going to die and I'm going to win.
I make it over to my double blades without any incident—but suddenly, the girl from District Nine cuts ahead and grabs one of them. NO! Ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I charge her from behind, shoving her straight to the floor. She yells in surprise, dropping my weapon—but before I can take it, she grabs it again and slices at me. I barely manage to dodge.
"Get away from me!" She screams, her eyes narrowed. Why is she not submitting to me?!
"GIVE ME BACK MY WEAPON!" I snarl, picking up the other blade from the floor. In the background, I can already hear the sound of metal grinding on metal. She's wasting my time... "I'll kill you! Give it to me or I'll kill you!"
But suddenly, in the corner of my eye, I see the girl from Ten rushing over here. In her hands is some sort of machete. What does she want? Wait, they're allies, aren't they? Damn... I don't have the time to kill both of them!
I've already wasted enough time. Sending the girl from Nine one last look of pure hate, I grip the weapon I have and run away. I'll kill her later. But right now...
I search for my District Partner through the pandemonium that's going on in this barn. There's too many bodies moving around, though—too much fighting and too much noise. How am I going to find her?!
But suddenly, something else catches my attention. The girl from District Three has a large bag in her hand, searching desperately for her allies. She screams their names, tears in her eyes. I have no business with the girl, and I'm about to look away but it's like something keeps my gaze locked on her.
It all happens so fast. The boy from District One is suddenly charging at her, a weird-looking axe in his hands. I stare, eyes widened, as he brings back the weapon and swings it towards her head.
Iris screams. A pitched, terror-filled scream that freezes everyone and everything.
Everyone except Vesper, who slams the sharp end of the weapon in the girl's head. I stare, terrified and sick, as the axe lodges itself deep inside the girl's skull. Blood and even pieces of her brain shoot out—and even though the cannons don't boom until after the Bloodbath, I don't need to hear one to know that she's dead.
Vesper yanks his weapon out of her head, letting her fall and bleed all over the floor. Quickly, he snatches her backpack off the ground and runs out the big double barn doors. But seemingly chasing him is the younger girl's ally, the volunteer boy from Seven, a dark look on his face. And following him is the dead girl's other ally, the small boy from Three.
The first death of the Games, and it's happened right in front of me. To be honest, I don't know how to feel. I didn't... I mean, I've obviously seen death before, but not up close like this. Will taking a life be as easy as I thought?
I'm just about to ignore my quest for vengeance and run away while I still can—but suddenly, I see the boy from District Six standing right next to me, staring at the girl's corpse. Breno Harmont. I can practically see my father now, leaning into the TV, waiting for me to either make him proud or disappoint him. I can practically see the entirety of Panem, watching with bated breaths, knowing that I have a vendetta against Kaya and that this is the only real opportunity I'll have.
I can see Kaya, sneering at me when she realizes I punked out of killing her valuable ally. And while I am terrified for my life right now, I never punk out of achieving the things I've sworn to do. Back in Eight, when my mother died in the war, my father was the only one left who I truly cared about. And yet, he always looked at me with narrowed eyes and barely spoke a word. I was irrelevant. And I didn't want to be irrelevant—not to him. Anyone but him.
Doing stunts like jumping off buildings and even getting in trouble with Peacekeepers were all just ways for me to garner his attention. I would put myself in life-threatening danger, all for him to look and acknowledge me. I would even cut myself, all down my arms and even on my face—but nothing would seem to work.
When I was Reaped, I was scared beyond belief. But now, I realize that this is the only chance I have to truly be important in my father's eyes. Becoming a Victor is the only way.
And Victors kill.
Breno catches me looking at him in the corner of his eye, but it's far too late. I swiftly get behind the boy and bring my scimitar up to his neck. He stiffens, but does nothing more than gasp.
"You should've thought about your choice of alliances," I mumble, bringing it closer to his neck. "Don't move, or you'll be sorry."
"Just...kill me already."
"And where's the fun in that?" The rage is back. The feeling of losing control. I smile, realizing that my plan is going to work and Kaya is going to pay for not listening to me. "No, we're going to have a little show."
Just as the words come out of my mouth, I see both Ula and Caio staring at us from afar. Both of them looked frightened and on edge, but almost for two completely different reasons. I still don't see Kaya, but whatever, Breno's corpse will be enough of a warning.
"Make sure to tell that redheaded bitch just who did this!" I yell, grinning now. They don't move—but even if they did, nothing would change. I press the blade right against Breno's throat and slice. It's like I can feel the skin falling apart, like I can feel the blood gushing out of his body.
And I like it. Killing isn't terrifying. It's exciting. For the first time in forever, I finally feel like I'm complete control. I'm in control of whoever lives and whoever dies.
I let Breno fall to the floor, and the first thing he does is clutch his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. It doesn't work, though. In a matter of seconds, his eyes seem to dull, and his gargling comes to a stop. I stare at him in pity, but shake my head and move on after a moment. If only he hadn't allied with that stupid girl. This is all her fault.
But whatever! I grab a stray backpack off the ground, laughing as I rush to the door. I can barely see what's outside because of the sun, and I hate the sun—but staying inside means death, and I don't want to die just yet. I just want to kill!
And that's exactly what I'm going to do. The Games may have just begun, but that doesn't mean a single thing to me. I'm going to have as much fun as I can, by killing all of Kaya's allies and then killing her herself.
Nothing will be able to stop me.
Meeko Brighton, 14;
District Eleven Female.
During the fifteen minutes I had during Launch, I prayed.
In the Capitol, I don't even think they believe in religion. How could they? If their God is alright with sending twenty kids to their death every year, there's something really wrong. In District Eleven, though, religion hasn't completely vanished. My people use their faith to get through the Hunger Games each year. My people use their faith to get through life in general.
Living in Eleven is basically a Hunger Games in itself.
But anyway, while the clock ticked away my seconds of peace, I got on my knees and began praying. I prayed for the survival of both Koda and I. I prayed for forgiveness—because I was aware of what the other tributes were going to do, of what I had to do. I prayed for the families of the other tributes, knowing that every single district would be mourning for months to come.
I even prayed for a happy ending. Nobody from Eleven has ever won the Games before, despite our prayers, but I want to be the first. I know it's unlikely. I know it's very well impossible. And yet, I can't help but have a small bit of faith.
It's that bit of faith that keeps me sane right now. Because I can't find Koda.
As soon as the gong rang, I jumped off my pedestal and tried to get near him, but he was running to the Cornucopia far too fast for me to match. Not to mention the boy from Four nearly knocked me over, ruining my concentration and making me lose sight of my District Partner.
I haven't even been able to get a weapon or a backpack or anything. All I can think about is how Koda could just as easily be like Iris Logan from Three, dead with a gaping gash in his head. Or even like Breno Harmont from Six, his throat slit open. I've had the unsatisfaction of watching both deaths—and now, my peaceful persona has cracked. My calm state of mind is in pieces.
The voice in my head is legitimately screaming at me to just leave this barn before my body is sprawled across this wooden floor next.
It would be so easy. I could pick up a backpack, go through that door—and I'll be free from the chaos. I'll be alive.
I'm intelligent. I know what'll happen to me if I stay too long. I know what the wisest choice of action would be. But just because I'm smart, just because I know, that doesn't mean I have a strong enough conscious to do it. That doesn't mean my emotions are stone-cold.
Because they're not. Just because I don't talk, it doesn't mean I'm a hard-ass. If I were to leave Koda here, I'd never be able to forgive myself. Back in the Orphanage, he was my first real friend. He could've easily ignored the weird, quiet girl. He could've easily waved me off and hung out with his other friends.
But he didn't. And I'm not going to leave him. Childish he may be, Koda is my friend and I am not going to leave this horrible place without him.
Avoiding the path of the girl from Two, who has a grim scowl on her face, I round the Cornucopia. Koda, where are you?! I don't know what I'd do if someone were to catch me, with no weapon and hardly any fight in my body, but I bring that thought to the back of my mind.
Or rather, I try to—but suddenly lunging at me in the corner of my eye is the black-haired girl from Five. Alexandra Fearn. In her hand is a large knife, and in half a second, she stabs at my neck. Without even thinking, I spin around to dodge her attack, my eyes widened and adrenaline pumping.
A piece of my black hair falls to the wooden floor.
"Don't resist," the girl says, her eyes narrowed. Clutching the weapon in her hand, she exhales. "You're dead anyway."
I don't say a word, just like I haven't for the past three years. My silence must look like submission to her, because Alexandra lunges at me again. I dodge to the left this time, near the Cornucopia, yet she follows. If she gets too close, I'm done for. But I don't want to die. Oh my God, I don't want to die!
My feet graze past a group of knives on the floor, and I barely have time to pick one of them up before she's swiping at my face. The knife cuts into my cheek, slicing a thin line of red—and it stings, it stings, it stings..!
My mind goes on autopilot. She stabs at my head again—but this time, I fall on my butt to dodge it. The change in position puts her off for a second, but that's all the time I need to lunge and stab the knife straight into her leg.
Alexandra screams, falling to the floor and kicking me away with her other foot. I don't even feel the kick to my face, too transfixed by the feeling of actually plunging that weapon into her flesh. It makes me sick. Looking at the blood coming out makes me sick. Being near this girl, the same age as me, makes me sick.
I'm not a viscous person. I'm not one to relish in the pain of another person. I'm...peaceful. But that was definitely not very peaceful of you, Meeko. What would your dad say if he was still alive? What would your grandpa say?
I get up and run away, ignoring her grunts and gasps of pain. She distracted me for far too long. My main reason of even going near her was to find Koda, but I still didn't see him. Suddenly, a horrifying thought crosses my mind. What if he's already gone? He... I know he wouldn't leave me, right? Not when I wouldn't even leave him...
The thought settles in the pit of my stomach—and all of a sudden, I don't hear anything around me. I don't see anything. I'm in the pitch black darkness of my mind, my heartbeat being the only noise. He wouldn't...
And that's when I see a shadow, deep in the Cornucopia. I'm just about to wave the shadow off as a reckless tribute...but the boy momentarily turns around, and Koda's big brown eyes are blinking right at me. No amount of words can describe the happiness, the relief I feel at having suddenly found him, safe and sound.
But he quickly turns back around, digging deep for something. I even see him toss aside a few knives. What could he possibly be looking for? I'm about to rush over and drag him out of there, but that's when I catch something else, in the corner of my eye. Another shadow, though much larger than Koda, and a...a...
"KODA!" Three years. I haven't used my voice for three entire years. Ever since my father was caught stealing and whipped to death, it was almost as if I couldn't even use my voice anymore. I could, I just didn't want to. There was no point, not if a great man like my dad could be killed for trying to feed me.
Now, though, there is no other option. If I don't speak, Terrance will stab my friend to death, and I just can't... I just can't..!
"KODA! RUN!" My voice is hoarse, and it's insanely painful to be speaking after all these years. But I don't care. Koda quickly turns around, staring at me quizzically, and a spark of hope catches in my chest. But that hope is quickly extinguished by Terrance Vallier of District Nine, as he shoves his knife straight into my friend's chest.
The pain, the agony Koda must feel is short, because Terrance pulls the knife out and my District Partner falls inside the Cornucopia, lifeless. Dead. He's dead...
Terrance looks up at me, the expression on his face nothing more than dull—and I turn around and run. I don't miss the fact that nearly everyone has left except the Pack, and that a single arrow could end my existence. But I don't care. Let them shoot me, I think, scooping up a backpack and continuing my run. I failed. I didn't save him.
And the sad thing is, there's a part inside my body that's almost relieved. With Koda dead, there's nobody I have to look out for except myself. And when the end rolls along, I won't have to worry myself on who's going to be the one to make it out.
Because now, there's no-one else but me. I grip the backpack, rushing towards the light outside the large door. I'm disgusted with myself, and I'm pretty sure I'm crying, but I keep running. No matter what I have to do now, it's going to be me.
The Games have only begun, and I'm already a different girl than who I was in the Capitol.
I just don't know whether that'll benefit me, or destroy me from the inside-out.
Kostos Sylett, 18;
District Two Male.
Everyone's gone.
Without twenty other tributes inside, the barn looks a hundred times bigger, maybe even a bit ghostly. The scythes and pitchforks lining the wall are a bit intimidating, to be honest, and even the wooden barrels have a mystifying aura to them. Who knows just what they're filled with?
Probably poison or acid or something.
That'd be kinda awesome.
"What a failure," Echo suddenly says, pacing back and forth. Her boots make a clanking noise with each step on the pristine wooden floor. As she stops pacing and turns towards me, I can't help but stifle laughter as I get a good look at her in her farm outfit. "This is no time to be giggling, Kostos."
"And why not?" I turn away from my District Partner and start towards the Cornucopia, looking for something to eat or something entertaining. "The Bloodbath is over. We can stop acting like stiff soldiers until tomorrow at least, right?" As I get closer to the golden horn, I notice a small trail of blood—but I completely ignore it, deciding to look for food elsewhere. Probably some dead body or something.
I can hear Echo getting more and more irate by the second. "The Bloodbath is not over. Oh no, don't you dare say it's over."
I glance over my shoulder, eyebrows raised. What's her problem? Is the Arena getting to her already?
"Don't you understand?" She asks, her voice raising. "Don't any of you understand?" With that, she catches the attention of both Terrance and Adeline, who have both been sorta ignoring my District Partner. The boy from Nine is deep inside the Cornucopia, a weird-looking sword in his hand, while Adeline is nearer to the girl from Three's corpse.
For a good few seconds, I can't help but stare at Iris' dead body, shivering. The gash in her head is almost painful to look at. I may have volunteered for this, but that doesn't mean death doesn't effect me.
Because it does. Maybe a bit less than the average person, but it does still effect me. I am still human. Back in District Two, I was always popular with the younger crowd, especially girls—so it wouldn't entirely be surprising if, in a different universe, I'd have interacted pleasantly with Iris. It's possible, in a different universe, she wouldn't be dead on the ground a few feet away.
You're staring too much. Putting back on my flippant attitude, I bring my attention back to Echo, shoving the girl from Three out of my mind. I can't... I can't focus on her. I volunteered for a reason. Getting rid of the void in my heart will always, always be the first thing on my mind.
"We're called the Pack for a reason," Echo begins to explain. "We're like a pack of wolves, killing each and every tribute that stands in the Capitol's way. And for there to be two bodies on the floor, well, you can guess the Capitol isn't very satisfied."
Terrance suddenly speaks up. "Three. I killed the boy from Eleven. Left him in the Cornucopia."
I glance at the boy, who speaks about the death of that kid like it's nothing. Because it's not supposed to be anything. Koda was going to die anyways, especially if you're going to win. I nod to myself, taking a deep breath. All I need to is focus on the Games, not it's victims. Back in Two, I'd never kill a twelve-year-old boy—but I'm not in District Two right now. I'm in the Arena, on the track to victory.
I need to take a page from my father, keep a blank mind, and do what I'm supposed to do. It'll be just like usual; act the adventurous daredevil during the day, wallow in depression during the night. I'll have my time to mourn over these unfortunate kids.
I clap my hands together, ignoring whatever Echo was saying. "There! That's three kills! I'm sure the Capitol won't be too disappointed, right?"
"Considering Terrance was the only one in this alliance to earn himself a kill, I'm pretty sure they're disappointed." Echo's face suddenly goes red, matching the color of her hair. "I would've gotten that stupid bastard from One, but of course he had to distract me and run. The coward. And then that stupid girl from Eight, ugh, how dare she attack me?! Did she really think she stood a chance?!"
Obviously, considering she still got away from you. I know Echo is lethal; everyone does. But what's holding the girl back is her crazy arrogance. She believes the Outer-Districts to all be these cowering weaklings, dummies for her to cut up. The fact that they're actually fighting back is surprising for her.
I'll admit, seeing the boy from Seven suddenly attack me during the Bloodbath was surprising. And the fact that he could hold his own was even more-so. The boy deserved at least a 9 for his training score. If not for his ally's death, resulting in him running away, I honestly don't know what would've happened.
And I'll admit, seeing two people die really distracted me. I know I'm skilled. I'm skilled enough to kill more than half of these tributes, if not all of them. But my one weakness is that I'm still human—and I don't care who they are, nobody is going to go unaffected by actually seeing a dead body in crystal clear clarity.
I begin to ignore Echo's rant, gazing over towards Adeline. In the Capitol, she would've said over a hundred words by now. But looking at the girl now, all I can see is her spirit slowly but surely leaving her body. Adeline didn't volunteer to be here. She's taking this a lot worse than anyone in this alliance.
And just think. In a week, she'll be dead. Catching me staring, Adeline manages a small smile. Maybe you shouldn't have volunteered for this, Kostos.
But this is the only thing I have left. I've searched District Two up and down, done more things than anyone in Panem can say they've done—and yet, I constantly feel lost, insecure, incomplete. I just... I just don't want to feel that pain anymore. I don't want to feel like someone who can easily be kicked to the curb. I don't want to be depressed anymore, living a facade every single day just to mentally beat myself up every night.
The Hunger Games is the only thing I haven't done. I can't fail. I can't. I need to be the Victor of the Fifth Hunger Games, to fill this damn void in my stupid heart.
From now on, there's no more time to be joking around. Echo looks at me, expecting me to say something sarcastic—but I refrain. It's time to play the game. And win.
My District Partner takes us all in—Terrance, boring but competent; Adeline, physically and mentally fragile; and me, suddenly serious—before sighing. "I honestly don't know what I'm doing with you three," she says, walking past me and to the Cornucopia. But suddenly, her eyes find the trail of blood, and a dark look graces her features.
I realize just what's going on when, suddenly, the girl from District Five jumps out of the shadows and attacks Echo. What—? Everything seems to happen so, so fast. Echo quickly bats Alexandra off of her and to the ground. The girl from Five, realizing that her surprise-attack failed, tries to scramble to her feet—but it's not hard to miss the blood dripping from her bandaged leg. She's crippled.
And that's going to be the death of her.
"You seriously thought..." Echo raises her rapier, eyes narrowed. In the background, Adeline seems to be choking back tears. Alexandra, in contrast, has a terrified glare on her face. It seems to say one thing: hurry it up.
The sword goes down so fast, I barely see it move. One second, Echo has it raised in silent pride, and then next, it's impaled straight into the fourteen-year-old girl's chest. Alexandra Fearn of District Five is killed on impact.
I look away, not wanting to see another kid's dead body. After that, it's quiet. The only sounds are Adeline's quiet sobs as she stares straight at Alexandra's corpse, a bloodied hole in her heart. Almost like your heart, huh? I shove that thought away. I don't need to think things like that, not when emotions are running high enough as it is.
"Well then," Echo starts, a chuckle in her voice. She's not smiling, but the pride in her eyes say enough. "The Bloodbath was still pathetic, but as long as I attained a kill, I guess I can ignore it."
In the corner of my eye, I can see Terrance roll his eyes, clearly unaffected by what just happened. Adeline is wiping her face with her hands, biting her bottom lip to keep from crying out loud—but thankfully, Echo seems content enough not to scream at her for showing weakness. For now. I just hope the girl from One gets better quickly, because I don't see my District Partner putting up with much more tears.
Today's already been a long day, I think, turning around and looking in the Cornucopia for something to eat. But thankfully, it's over. The Bloodbath is over.
Or that's what I think. Suddenly, I hear rapid footsteps, coming from my right. I quickly turn around, grabbing my bow and arrow, intent on stopping anyone who thinks now would be a good time to attack us. Because I'm tired. I just want to peel off this carefree facade and wallow in my misery.
But it's nobody trying to attack us. My eyes settle on the girl from Seven, running out of the Cornucopia and towards the door, two backpacks across her shoulders. Why is everyone suddenly deciding to hide in the Cornucopia?
"Shoot her!" Echo suddenly yells—and I realize a second later that she's yelling at me. "If you let her get away, Kostos, you're out!"
I don't even bother taking her words to heart. Echo's arrogant, but she's not stupid. My training score of 10 is enough to solidify me a strong member of this team. But what about the Capitol? If you let this girl go, gaining not a single kill during the Bloodbath, your training score will be meaningless to them. You'll be a nobody. Somebody to kick straight to the curb.
Not only will I feel insufficient about myself, but even they'll see me as a nobody. I don't think I can handle that.
I pick up an arrow and nock it, aiming straight for the girl's chest. She's moving fast, her face mixed with determination and fear—but I've hit enough moving targets to know how to bring her down. I take a second to breathe, knowing that this'll be my one and only chance to prove myself, before releasing my hold and letting the arrow fly through the air.
Calla Mallow is a few feet from the door, a few feet from escaping—but my arrow tears straight through her back and out her stomach. The gasp of pain that comes out her mouth reverberates throughout the barn, bouncing around the room until it hits my brain. And just like that, she falls to the floor, a pool of blood around her, dead.
My first kill. I know, as soon as I drop my bow to the ground, that I'll never feel pride in taking another life. I know that I'll never truly find myself in this arena, that I'll never be happy. Calla's last breath will haunt me for as long as I live.
But trying to fool my allies, the Capitol, and maybe even myself, I grin. "Are you happy now, Madam Woods? Five dead kids all around."
It might as well be six, I think, struggling to maintain my charisma. Because I'm already dead.
Iris Logan, 24th: The Girl With The Knives, This girl was a sweetheart. She might have been stereotypical for a twelve-year-old girl, but I'm really glad I got a tribute like her because she was truly a selfless person and every SYOT needs someone as wonderful as Iris. I had fun slowly forcing her to mature in the Capitol, because a lot of SYOT writers just wave the young children away as naive and childish bloodbaths—and while they may not survive as long as the older ones, I don't feel that most human-beings can stay naive and childish in a situation like this. She was a joy, okay, and it's sad to see her go.
Breno Harmont, 23rd: Cloe, ehehe, I just find it funny how you created Breno because you thought Caio wasn't good enough. When, in all honesty, I think Caio was probably an even better tribute than Breno. He's not a Bloodbath, at least. (Oh goodness, I probably sound really inconsiderate, but we're friends and you still have Caio so you probably shouldn't care xD) But yeah, Breno was one of those normal tributes that every single story needs. He did things in his own little way, didn't let people fool him, and the war had hardened him—but he still had his insecurities, and that was fun to write. While Breno could have definitely passed as a loner, I liked the thought of him being in an alliance, especially the one he was in. Unfortunately, he did grow into a background character, and the only plot I could find for him was to die by Zander's hands. Which kinda sucks. I'll miss him!
Koda Samuels, 22nd: Obviously Entei, While some reviewers didn't like the fact that Koda volunteered for someone literally six years older, I thought it was actually pretty neat and really endearing of him to care about his pretend brother like that. Unfortunately, Koda was another young tribute that had the stereotypical traits—but the thing with him was that you could never keep Koda down for too long. I couldn't make him depressed like Michael, and I couldn't suddenly make him more mature like Iris. He was going to have his sad moments as reality sunk it, but he was going to be himself through it all. Sadly, there was just no plot I could legitimately find for him. I think it's really sweet that he finally heard Meeko's voice before he died, though, if not insanely sad. I feel like he would've loved to have just one conversation with her. :') He will definitely be missed, though you still have Meeko so let's see how that works out!
Alexandra Fearn, 21st: JadeRavenstone, The idea of volunteering to save a family member is not unheard of, but for Ali, it really stuck with me. Her entire motivation was keeping her family alive. Underneath her abrasive persona, she was actually a really good person, if not a bit quiet. I feel like, if not for keeping her family safe, Ali would've definitely cracked under the pressure and not have been so willing to fight—which, in the end, was her downfall. The relationship she had with both her Escort and Michael was really a fun one to explore, as you can probably guess by how many times Drusas and her argued. And with Michael, using him as a reminder of her deceased friend was just a great way to develop. She could've overcame her demons and worked with Michael and Ceres, or she could've continued to push her District Partner away. In the end, she pushed him away—because realistically, introverted people can't just go against their reclusive nature so easily. Ali was definitely a favorite of mine, and it kills me to have to let her go. ;-;
Calla Mallow, 20th: ELMOlifebro, I am legit the most fickle person in this world, I swear. When I got her form, I fell in love with this girl. Seriously, I thought she was perfect, and that I was going to have a blast writing the interviews with her family. Basically, I'm saying she was going to be in the final 8. But as I wrote Calla, I unfortunately couldn't connect with her as well as I'd have liked. Not your fault, definitely, but more-so mine. I'm sorry about that. There were definitely ways I could've took Calla, like having her altruistic nature conflict with her self-preservation—but for that to happen, Iris would've needed to surivive, and that couldn't have happened because 3 Bloodbath deaths doesn't exactly look great as a new SYOT writer xD But yeah, what I'm saying is that Calla was great, but my incompetence to correctly write her character and definite plot issues is what stopped her survival. Just like the rest, she will be missed!
Author's Note: Maybe it's because I have no internet to procrastinate, but this chapter was done extremely fast. And for the first time in forever, I'm actually really satisfied by how this turned out. Maybe it was the surplus of wonderful reviews, but my confidence levels are off the roof! Let's just hope I don't get arrogant xD
But ANYWAY, this was the Bloodbath. Wow. For starters, I'd like to apologize to every single submitter who had a tribute die today. Obviously I loved the tribute, but I just didn't have anything more planned for them. I made it clear during obtaining submissions that your tribute was more than likely going to die. Please don't be angry at me. I understand if you don't want to review anymore, but hopefully you'll keep reading. :')
Secondly, MY FIRST BLOODBATH xD UGH I HATE THE FACT THAT TRIBUTES ARE GOING TO DIE NOW, BUT UGH I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE GAMES! Wish me luck, everyone!
What are your thoughts on each of these tributes? Which POV was your favorite and why? Which POV was your least favorite and why?
The tube brings you up to the Arena, and you realize with horror that the strongest Careers are on both sides of you. Do you still risk the Bloodbath, or do you skip it altogether and run away?
Also, any surprising Bloodbath deaths? Any surprising killers? Any tributes you thought would die that survived? Any tributes you wished had died instead?
That's it for this chapter. Next chapter, we will get to see outside the barn and the rest of the Arena! I hope you're excited, because I'm excited!
The amount of reviews I got last chapter was...incredible. xD I know it's wistful thinking to wish I get that many reviews again, but I do hope the review count doesn't drop too dramatically.
Bai!